📰 New article from Retro Handhelds
Valve Let’s You Build The E-Ink Screen Yourself
https://retrohandhelds.gg/valve-lets-you-build-the-e-ink-screen-yourself/
Remember the Steam Machine hype train? It stalled out, but one cool concept survived: the e-ink faceplate. Valve originally teased a low-power, black-and-white display to show system stats without draining battery life. It was a niche idea that never made it to mass production, but now, Valve is letting us build it ourselves.
In a move that DIY enthusiasts will love, Valve has open-sourced the firmware and CAD files for the “Inkterface.” You can find everything on their Gitlab, including the steps to compile the AppImage yourself. It’s not plug-and-play yet—Valve hints at a dedicated Steam Store app in the future—but the files are ready now.
The build is surprisingly affordable, costing roughly $90 to $100. You’ll need a few specific parts, like an Adafruit ESP32 Feather and a 5.83-inch monochrome e-ink panel, along with some screws and magnets. It’s a fun project for tinkerers who want that retro-tech aesthetic on their setup.
While it’s a shame the screen isn’t sold separately, having the blueprints is a solid consolation prize. It’s perfect if you already own a Steam Machine or just want a cool, low-power monitor for your PC. Just ask yourself: are you really buying a Steam Machine, or just building a cool e-ink gadget?